I Trusted You
by MugglehalfBorn
Summary: The flames had reached his legs and before he knew he was screaming. "I trusted you."
1. The Secret

Merlin couldn't breathe. The smoke filled his lungs and the flame roared around him. His eyes burnt and his magic flared within him, in a desperate attempt to save himself, though he didn't dare use it now.

Arthur stood watching him from the balcony above, hatred and betrayal illuminated in his eyes. Merlin could only look up from where he was tied as the flames slowly began to reach him. Fear rose in him as he watched the flames rise higher and lap at his shoes.

"I'm sorry Arthur!" he pleaded "I'm sorry, I should have told you."

Arthur snorted and his voice shook slightly as he spoke "I'm sorry as well, Sorcerer. For it's too late now. The damage has been done."

Merlin had caught that sorrow in Arthur's voice and thought '_Maybe there was still hope. Maybe he wouldn't have to use his magic.'_

"Arthur, I'm sorry!" he yelled in direction of his friend. "I should have told you that I had magic. All these years. Everything I've done has been for you, for Camelot, to help build the kingdom, for Albion!"

Arthur paid him no more attention and turned away slightly. Merlin's heart broke in that moment and he knew that stopping the procedure was no longer considered an option.

The flames began to lap at his feet hungrily and Merlin knew he would be forced to use his magic soon enough. Then Arthur's Knights would kill him, shoot him down like an animal and it would all be over. _'Maybe this was his destiny. Maybe this was how it was supposed to end.'_

Merlin could see Arthur's knights and guards holding crossbows in case he tried anything to stop his fate. _'But I would never'_ Merlin thought as he recognised Gwaine, Percival, Leon….his friends. Well he had thought. Their faces were similar but far from the disgust that Merlin had seen in Arthur's eyes and the hatred that poured from him. Gwaine's expression is what tore him apart as he could see his eyes full of tears - they were like brothers.

Merlin looked at the knights with a pleading expression. He didn't have long until he would be burnt to a crisp as many of his kind had suffered, as he was suffering. The flames had now reached his feet and the temperature and heat intensified instantly. Merlin as if on command began to cough as the smoke filled his lungs. He shook his hands and tried to escape from being bound but it seemed impossible now to escape and the fire ascending faster towards him. He glanced back at the knights and weren't looking at him anymore, they were looking at Arthur, there expressions emotionless.

That was except for Gwaine's ghostly emotion plastered on his face.

_Had Arthur spoken?_

Merlin glanced up at Arthur, his eyes burning and only catching half of the sentence.

"… You are no longer my servant. No longer a friend of Camelot..."

Merlin had sworn that he had heard that same grief in Arthur's voice but he could have been mistaken as the crackling of the flames continued to stream upwards around him. He had glanced away in that moment from Arthur as he continued to speak to him. He couldn't care less for what this old friend of his had to say. Merlin had lost all trust in him weeks ago and was now only focused on escaping. Though he had lost his trust in his friend, he could not bring himself to use his magic against him or Camelot.

He would never.

However that possibility was becoming more and more tempting as the fear spiralled within him and his magic fought to escape him.

He shifted and pulled at the binds as the smoke rose and burned at his boots. Fear sparked in his chest and he couldn't stop the tears flowing down his face. Hs eyes were flaming and burning with the heat that hit his face in waves. His heart thumped in his chest and even breathing was becoming difficult as the flames grew more intense.

The magic within him was urging him to act.

_It would be simple._

_All he required was to untie the ropes at his wrists and extinguish the flames before him._

Merlin began to fight an inner battle.

_Was it his destiny to die here?_

_The all great powerful Emrys burned at King Arthur's command._

Merlin hopped the Gauis wasn't watching in the crowd. He couldn't bear to see his reaction.

Gauis was like a father to him, always caring and instructing him. Keeping his secret hidden all these years.

If Merlin were to see him then he would surely lose it. It had been days since they had last seen each other, after the incident…

Merlin's secret. A secret that he thought he could keep had all been lost because of Morgana.

She had revealed his secret to Arthur and at first the 'Princess' hadn't believed her. Though Merlin had wanted to lie once again, he couldn't hold in his emotions when Arthur asked him if it were true.

He should have lied.

Arthur's words still rang through his head.

"MERLIN? A SORCERER..."

He couldn't help but laugh at Arthur's taunt, it was very offensive. Merlin wasn't entirely useless.

Without magic Merlin was nothing.. He was empty as magic was him and he was magic. He was an all-powerful Warlock!

At that moment, submerged by flames, merlin felt anything but powerful.

He didn't know what he should do..


	2. I trusted you

Chapter 2

The flames had reached his legs and before he knew he was screaming.

The pain was overwhelming, so much so that he almost couldn't help using his magic.

His eyes flashed gold and the flames at his feet were instantly compelled by a barrier. He coughed once more and looked up to Arthur and the guards

'_Maybe they hadn't seen anything?' _

He was however unlucky as the guards began to move closer to him with their crossbows swung in front of them.

He had stopped screaming with the relief of using his magic, however little relief ti gave him. He looked up at Arthur again whose face remained cold as stone.

'_Had he or the guards seen him do anything?'_

His thoughts were interrupted by the sound of anger from the balcony above and confusion from the guards.

Merlin glanced up at Arthur once more.

The words that seemed to of been said echoed in his eardrums.

"FIRE THE CROSSBOWS!"

Merlin's heart almost burst in shock. Arthur would never order his knights to fire. Then why had he heard him do exactly that?

His heart began to hammer fast as the smoke and flames rose higher once more so that his barrier around him could be clearly visible. The effort it took to keep the barrier up consumed all of his energy and he didn't know how much longer he would be able to cope.

The urge to use his magic in order to extinguish the flames was becoming more and more tempting, he after all was only minutes from death.

The arrows were shot but they never reached their target but stopped and fell to the ground. Merlin had willed all his power to diverge those arrows and his barrier rippled slightly from the distraction. He could have let them hit his barrier but the damage it could have caused would have been fatal.

With the barrier preventing the flames from reaching him he could easily see what was going on beyond the smoke. What he could see was the constant glare from Arthur, though he couldn't exactly tell, he swore that he could see grief and regret plastered on his face.

Merlin pleaded with his eyes again then talked to Arthur using his mind.

"Arthur…please!"

Arthur's reaction was the shake of his head, he raised his hand to gesture the knights.

"Arthur! You wouldn't! I thought we were friends!"

"No Merlin, were not…" Arthur thought, the answer clearly being received by Merlin.

Merlin could have cried and pleaded all he wanted but he knew that he had only two options.

Die or use his magic.

'_But I would never….I have too…. Arthur no longer cares for me so why should I?'_

So Merlin lifted his hand and directed it towards the fire. The flames extinguished and he dropped his barrier.

He looked up at Arthur "I'm sorry, you left me no choice"

Arthur sighed "Then you leave me no choice!"

Merlin held his breath as he looked around at the guards. "I'M SORRY!" was all he could mutter before the arrows were fired once more.

His eyes flashed and they were slowed down, stopped in mid-air and fell to the ground. The guards, as well as Arthur were shocked and as well as angry at Merlin's powerful magic demonstration.

"Sorcerer! Stop this and accept death" Arthur bellowed as he made his way down to the scene.

"I haven't done anything wrong!" he yelled, his voice rugged and his throat sore.

"You are a Sorcerer, Merlin, and the law of Camelot states that magic is banned."

"Even if you were born with it?" Merlin smirked as he lifted his head weakly.

Arthur stood below the flames next to his knights. "Magic is Magic, you are no exception Merlin."

"I don't believe this is right. There is no evil in magic. It is neither good nor evil. It's the ones who practice it that determine how it is viewed. Morgana is a prime example!" he roared in defiance, standing on the extinguishing flames around him.

He stumbled to the ground and stood up, his barrier fading away.

Arthur looked at his former servant and raised his crossbow, directing it to his chest.

"I'm sorry Merlin…" he said and his voice shoke and a tear rolled down his cheek.

The arrow flew through the air towards Merlin's chest but it was striked down once more by Merlin himself. The weakened man began to stumble forward slowly towards Arthur. His head was bowed ever so slightly and he trembled.

When he lifted his head his eyes burned with hatred and they burned with a glowing gold.

His clothes were burnt and hanging on his slim form and his legs where charred beyond recognition. He limped slowly forward towards Arthur, looking like death.

_Arthur was fearful of this man that he used to know and he knew it was no longer possible for him to change his mind. What would his people think? He had to uphold the laws of Camelot, no matter the cost._

The man that slowly limped towards him was a clear representation of someone on the verge of death and no longer recognizable.

The skin on his legs were swollen and blood oozed from various areas on the Merlin's torso and other parts of his body.

_Was this really Merlin?_

_Was this his happy and joyful manservant who would have stood by his side no matter the cause._

Arthur no longer understood his feelings.

After Merlin's betrayal he had decided that he could no longer trust anyone.

The hatred for this man before him seemed to consume him. However he could still feel himself crying inside at the site of his friend being subjected to this pain and to the sentence that he had approved.

Arthur spoke first. "Merlin, please, I just want you to listen-"

The words seemed to hit him in such a way; unlike anything Arthur had said. Merlin paced forward, his eyes locking with Arthurs.

They were blazing.

It was the first expression Arthur had seen in him for a long time.

"You want me to listen? After everything that's happened. I begged you to listen, to allow me to explain. But you didn't. You acted on your anger, refused to give me a chance. I've known you for almost a decade. I've been by your side through everything. I've done everything I can to help you become the King you are destined to be. Yet you didn't care for any of that. Your prejudice against magic overruled everything!"

Merlin's eyes blazed again in anger. "I lied to you, yes. I betrayed your trust. But what could I have done? It was a choice between life and death."

Arthur had been quiet till then but suddenly fired back. "That may have been true, when my father was King. I succeeded the throne more than a year ago. Yet you didn't trust me. You didn't tell me the truth. I have shared everything about my life with you. I trusted you with my life. Yet-"

Arthur strode forward and pushed Merlin backwards reeling with anger.

Suddenly there was an eerie silence. Time itself seemed to stop for a moment, everything was still.

The calm before a storm.

Then there was a huge blast of wind. A rush of power. Powerful hostile magic that had never been directed towards Arthur pushed him back. Soaring through the air Arthur crashed into the wall behind him and was held there by an invisible force.

The warlock's eyes were burning gold. His hand outstretched towards Arthur.

Arthur felt afraid.

"You dare talk to me about trust!" his voice was loud and strong and seemed to echo.

Arthur glanced at his knights who had circled around the threatning sorcerer and himself.

"You have despised magic throughout your life. When have you ever believed it? Believed me? You have never changed your stance on magic. Never changed the laws.

You threw me in the dungeons and raised your sword against me.

Tortured my friends needlessly.

You hurt everyone I cared about.

YOU broke my trust.

Every sacrifice I've made, every man I've killed. Every decision I've taken. Every spell I cast was because of you.

I've lost my friends, my father, the girl I loved because of destiny.

Because of my loyalty to you"

Suddenly he sagged against the wall and slid down it. Merlin's had lowered and Arthur felt the force holding his disappear.

"I've waited a lifetimr being ruled by prophesies and destiny. But that wasn't the reason I stayed. That wasn't why I risked my life constantly living in Camelot.

I watched friend turn to foe. I watched armies fall. I watched innocent people die because I believed in a prince.

A prince destined for greatness.

A king who deserved the crown of Albion.

A man worthy of friendship.

I trusted you.

I believed in you Arthur.

I made a mistake."

With that he turned. Within seconds he disappeared in the light of the morning and the King watched in stunned silence.


End file.
